What is the effect of cell phone radiation on sperm motility and DNA damage?
Do Cell Phones Lower Sperm Counts?
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
“Are men talking their reproductive health away?” There have been “unexplained declines in semen quality reported in several countries.” Might cell phones be playing a role, as “[r]adio-frequency electromagnetic radiation from these devices could potentially affect sperm development and function.” The cell phone industry bristles at the “r-word,” radiation, preferring the more innocuous sounding “RF-EMF”s. They do have a point, though, about it being used by snake-oil hucksters of “radiation protection” gadgets. Radiation need not be atomic-bomb gamma rays, but just the warm glow of sunshine on your face; that’s radiation, too. The question is: does the specific type of radiation emitted by cell phones affect male fertility?
After the “World Health Organization…declared that cell phones [could possibly] cause brain cancer,” many folks were like, no problem, I’ll just keep it in my pants and use Bluetooth or something. Away from the brain, but “close to the gonads.” Put all the studies together, including nearly 1,500 semen samples and: “Exposure to mobile phones was associated with reduced sperm motility…and viability…,” though not necessarily sperm concentration.”
How much less could they swim? Sperm motility only appeared to be about 8% less, and so that alone may not actually translate into reduced fertility—unless you’re starting out with a marginal sperm count in the first place. So, especially for men who already have fertility problems, it might be better to avoid keeping an active cell phone next to your crotch for long periods of time. Cell phones may just be one of a bunch of things that could potentially add up. For example, Wi-Fi may be an issue. So, researchers got semen samples from more than a thousand guys, and the total number of swimmers? “[M]otile sperm were decreased in a group who used a wireless internet.”
Okay, but these were all just observational studies. Maybe men who use Wi-Fi just tend to smoke more, or do more horseback riding, or something—and that’s the reason for the apparent link. You don’t know, until you put it to the test.
Unfortunately, many of the studies are like this: on rats. So, while the microwaves emitted from a cell phone do not appear to affect rat testicles, it can be argued that you can’t necessarily extrapolate from these animal models, since, for example, their scrotums are “nonpendulous”—meaning their testicles are more inside their bodies rather than out swinging around.
So, at least “[u]ntil proven otherwise, it is recommended that [men] with…fertility issues” may not want to keep their cell phones in their front pants pocket, “in close proximity to the[ir] testicles.” Even when not in use, cell phones emit radiation—to keep pinging their location, though the main exposure is during talk mode, where it may still remain in the pocket, thanks to headsets these days.
And then, what happens when you have it in proximity to other common metal objects? Here’s a cross-section at crotch level. There’s the phone. You may have a metal zipper, key ring in your pocket. “When all three objects were added, the SAR [the amount of radiation absorbed into]…the testicles, was generally increased…[even] approximately doubled.”
But, that’s only a problem if the radiation does actually damage sperm. How hard is it to just design a study where you just wave a cell phone over some human sperm in a Petri dish to see if it’s an issue? And…here we go. Significantly more DNA fragmentation in sperm exposed to cell phone radiation, starting within an hour of exposure. Such a dramatic effect that they suggest women might not want to pocket their cell phones for a few days after trying to get pregnant, so as to not put the sperm at further risk.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Adams JA, Galloway TS, Mondal D, Esteves SC, Mathews F. Effect of mobile telephones on sperm quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int. 2014;70:106-12.
- Lerchl A. Electromagnetic pollution: another risk factor for infertility, or a red herring?. Asian J Androl. 2013;15(2):201-3.
- Carpenter DO. Human disease resulting from exposure to electromagnetic fields. Rev Environ Health. 2013;28(4):159-72.
- Agarwal A, Durairajanayagam D. Are men talking their reproductive health away?. Asian J Androl. 2015;17(3):433-4.
- Gorpinchenko I, Nikitin O, Banyra O, Shulyak A. The influence of direct mobile phone radiation on sperm quality. Cent European J Urol. 2014;67(1):65-71.
- Yildirim ME, Kaynar M, Badem H, Cavis M, Karatas OF, Cimentepe E. What is harmful for male fertility: cell phone or the wireless Internet?. Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2015;31(9):480-4.
- Whittow WG, Panagamuwa CJ, Edwards RM, Ma L. Indicative sar levels due to an active mobile phone in a front trouser pocket in proximity to common metallic objects. Antennas and Propagation Conference, 2008. LAPC 2008. Loughborough.
- Dasdag S, Zulkuf akdag M, Aksen F, et al. Whole body exposure of rats to microwaves emitted from a cell phone does not affect the testes. Bioelectromagnetics. 2003;24(3):182-8.
Image credit: Martin Abegglen via flickr. Image has been modified.
Motion graphics by Avocado Video
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
“Are men talking their reproductive health away?” There have been “unexplained declines in semen quality reported in several countries.” Might cell phones be playing a role, as “[r]adio-frequency electromagnetic radiation from these devices could potentially affect sperm development and function.” The cell phone industry bristles at the “r-word,” radiation, preferring the more innocuous sounding “RF-EMF”s. They do have a point, though, about it being used by snake-oil hucksters of “radiation protection” gadgets. Radiation need not be atomic-bomb gamma rays, but just the warm glow of sunshine on your face; that’s radiation, too. The question is: does the specific type of radiation emitted by cell phones affect male fertility?
After the “World Health Organization…declared that cell phones [could possibly] cause brain cancer,” many folks were like, no problem, I’ll just keep it in my pants and use Bluetooth or something. Away from the brain, but “close to the gonads.” Put all the studies together, including nearly 1,500 semen samples and: “Exposure to mobile phones was associated with reduced sperm motility…and viability…,” though not necessarily sperm concentration.”
How much less could they swim? Sperm motility only appeared to be about 8% less, and so that alone may not actually translate into reduced fertility—unless you’re starting out with a marginal sperm count in the first place. So, especially for men who already have fertility problems, it might be better to avoid keeping an active cell phone next to your crotch for long periods of time. Cell phones may just be one of a bunch of things that could potentially add up. For example, Wi-Fi may be an issue. So, researchers got semen samples from more than a thousand guys, and the total number of swimmers? “[M]otile sperm were decreased in a group who used a wireless internet.”
Okay, but these were all just observational studies. Maybe men who use Wi-Fi just tend to smoke more, or do more horseback riding, or something—and that’s the reason for the apparent link. You don’t know, until you put it to the test.
Unfortunately, many of the studies are like this: on rats. So, while the microwaves emitted from a cell phone do not appear to affect rat testicles, it can be argued that you can’t necessarily extrapolate from these animal models, since, for example, their scrotums are “nonpendulous”—meaning their testicles are more inside their bodies rather than out swinging around.
So, at least “[u]ntil proven otherwise, it is recommended that [men] with…fertility issues” may not want to keep their cell phones in their front pants pocket, “in close proximity to the[ir] testicles.” Even when not in use, cell phones emit radiation—to keep pinging their location, though the main exposure is during talk mode, where it may still remain in the pocket, thanks to headsets these days.
And then, what happens when you have it in proximity to other common metal objects? Here’s a cross-section at crotch level. There’s the phone. You may have a metal zipper, key ring in your pocket. “When all three objects were added, the SAR [the amount of radiation absorbed into]…the testicles, was generally increased…[even] approximately doubled.”
But, that’s only a problem if the radiation does actually damage sperm. How hard is it to just design a study where you just wave a cell phone over some human sperm in a Petri dish to see if it’s an issue? And…here we go. Significantly more DNA fragmentation in sperm exposed to cell phone radiation, starting within an hour of exposure. Such a dramatic effect that they suggest women might not want to pocket their cell phones for a few days after trying to get pregnant, so as to not put the sperm at further risk.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Adams JA, Galloway TS, Mondal D, Esteves SC, Mathews F. Effect of mobile telephones on sperm quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Int. 2014;70:106-12.
- Lerchl A. Electromagnetic pollution: another risk factor for infertility, or a red herring?. Asian J Androl. 2013;15(2):201-3.
- Carpenter DO. Human disease resulting from exposure to electromagnetic fields. Rev Environ Health. 2013;28(4):159-72.
- Agarwal A, Durairajanayagam D. Are men talking their reproductive health away?. Asian J Androl. 2015;17(3):433-4.
- Gorpinchenko I, Nikitin O, Banyra O, Shulyak A. The influence of direct mobile phone radiation on sperm quality. Cent European J Urol. 2014;67(1):65-71.
- Yildirim ME, Kaynar M, Badem H, Cavis M, Karatas OF, Cimentepe E. What is harmful for male fertility: cell phone or the wireless Internet?. Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2015;31(9):480-4.
- Whittow WG, Panagamuwa CJ, Edwards RM, Ma L. Indicative sar levels due to an active mobile phone in a front trouser pocket in proximity to common metallic objects. Antennas and Propagation Conference, 2008. LAPC 2008. Loughborough.
- Dasdag S, Zulkuf akdag M, Aksen F, et al. Whole body exposure of rats to microwaves emitted from a cell phone does not affect the testes. Bioelectromagnetics. 2003;24(3):182-8.
Image credit: Martin Abegglen via flickr. Image has been modified.
Motion graphics by Avocado Video
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Title
Do Cell Phones Lower Sperm Counts?
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
What about laptops and WiFi? Should laptops not be in our laps after all? See Does Laptop Wi-Fi Lower Sperm Counts?.
For more on the brain issues, see:
- Does Cell Phone Radiation Cause Cancer?
- Cell Phone Brain Tumor Risk?
- Do Mobile Phones Affect Brain Function?
I cover male fertility in videos such as:
- The Role of Diet in Declining Sperm Counts
- Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility
- Male Fertility and Diet
- Yellow Bell Peppers for Male Infertility and Lead Poisoning?
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